Giving It Away (Warriors 102, Spurs 104)

Following Thursday’s cringe-inducing 102-104 loss to the Spurs’ reserves, Mark Jackson commented that his team established a lead, then got out of character. Just the opposite is true. The Warriors’ character all season — even when they were building early 30-point leads — has been to lose focus when they think they’re in control. Sometimes it happens once a seemingly comfortable lead has been built. Other times it even happens before tip-off with an underestimated opponent. But if there’s a single common thread running through the first third of the Warriors’ season, it is their lax overconfidence.

The 24 turnovers will be the headline for this loss, and rightfully so, but they’re just a symptom of a deeper malaise. There’s a lack of crispness and intensity in the majority of the Warriors’ play that becomes apparent when they do actually click into gear and play with focus. It’s the difference between Draymond Green and Toney Douglas’ late-third/early-fourth quarter defense and whatever that was we saw from Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson in the second and third. It’s the difference between Stephen Curry working hard to find daylight and angles while being swarmed by Spurs defenders, and Kent Bazemore fumbling the ball out of bounds while alone in the corner. In the past, it has been an issue of clumsy half-court protect-the-lead offense as opposed to the faster, more free-flowing game they play at their best. But on Thursday in the fourth quarter there was no offensive stalling — the Warriors shot 52% and scored 28 points in generally up-tempo play. But even playing their style of game, they kept making mistakes and coming up short on the most important possessions.

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There are only so many wake-up calls a team can receive. Sunday’s loss to the Suns in a very winnable game should have been enough. It seems to have done the trick for David Lee, who has played with a newfound aggressiveness on both ends of the court in the last two games. But for most of the team, it took one easy win against an injury-crippled Pelicans to forget any lessons learned from last weekend’s ugliness. They keep making the same mistakes, and are losing games they will desperately want back when April rolls around.

There’s enough blame to go around, for both players and coaches. Mark Jackson can’t control his players’ intensity on the court or ensure that they execute at the high level of a playoff team, let alone a borderline contender. But what Jackson can do is reward focus and energy and punish carelessness or lethargy. At the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, the line-up of Toney Douglas, Kent Bazemore, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and David Lee lugged the Warriors back into the game. Showing nice adjustment from Sunday’s loss to the Suns, Jackson went with a defense heavy line-up when he needed to jump-start his team’s aggressiveness. Douglas, Bazemore and Green blitzed the Spurs’ scorers. At the other end, Lee aggressively attacked the Spurs’ undersized interior. The reserves pulled the Warriors back into the game, gave Curry and others a breather, and then returned to the bench in favor of a nearly seven minute uninterrupted run from the starters. Almost immediately, the defensive energy faded and the Spurs once again started getting easy baskets on quality looks. While the Warriors’ offense kept them even for awhile — thanks almost entirely to another heroic crunch-time effort from Stephen Curry — it wasn’t enough to close out a team that should have been struggling to find any way to score given the absence of its three best players.

Some of the starters didn’t earn the right to close out the game, and Mark Jackson shouldn’t have given them what they didn’t deserve. Douglas or Green should have been back in for an ineffective Thompson much earlier than with 30 seconds in the game. Iguodala looked gassed by the end of the fourth quarter and was a non-factor in the quarter (no shots, 2 rebounds, 1 assist). The Warriors seem to need a critical mass of defenders (usually 3) on the court at any time to keep their intensity up. With Curry/Thompson/Iguodala/Lee/Bogut, there are too many players easing up or making the wrong decision at the defensive end for the team to lock down anyone. They may hold for a few passes or screens, but given a patient offense like the Spurs, the holes will eventually open and easy baskets will follow. Popovich couldn’t have come into Oracle expecting a win given the absence of his three starters, but the relentless execution he demands from his team — players 1 to 15, in a nail-biter or a blowout — gave his reserves what they needed to beat a Warriors squad throwing errant lobs rather than looking for easy lay-ups.

This is just one loss in the middle of December — not the death of the Warriors’ hopes and ambitions by any stretch — but there are a few things that are particularly frustrating about it. First and foremost, this is a game the Warriors should win. On their home court, against a tired Spurs squad benching its three best players, every variable points towards a Warriors win. The last loss, or the loss before that one, or the near loss before that, were all supposed to keep the Warriors from taking this game lightly and making all the same mistakes. Now this is supposed to be the loss that finally changes things. The Warriors keep having wake-up games, then hit the snooze bar and roll over. If their on-the-court responses to losses were as good as their locker-room quotes after them, they might be getting somewhere.

Second — a more aesthetic concern — I hate to see the best basketball of Stephen Curry’s career wasted in these losses. Yes, he’s turning the ball over (5 on Thursday), but he’s not the only Warrior guilty of that by any stretch. His turnovers tend to be from trying to create something that isn’t quite there, as opposed to stepping out of bounds, dribbling off his foot, turning into defensive pressure or committing silly offensive fouls (as is often the case with his teammates). Turnovers aside, Curry is the only Warrior showing a willingness to step up in crunch time and repeatedly hit huge shots. He’s aggressive going to the basket, brilliant at creating opportunities for his teammates, and making a decent effort on defense. He’s been so tremendous that the Warriors seem to wait for him to blow up and save the game. But there are limits to his heroics, as they’ve seen repeatedly in the last week. Hopefully we’ll have many more years of this type of basketball from Curry, but I’d hate to see him become just another high scorer on a team going nowhere.

Finally, while the Warriors burn off what’s left of their hype with these frustrating performances, the West charges full speed ahead. If the playoffs started today, the Warriors would be on the outside. The teams that are supposed to fall off and fade away — like Phoenix — keep beating the Warriors. The teams that are supposed to be their peers — like Houston — keep blowing them out. There will be easier games ahead for the Warriors that will help boost their standing in the West, but these very winnable games against direct playoff competition are really painful to lose. At best, they hurt the Warriors’ chances for home court advantage in the playoffs (they’re currently 4 games behind the Clippers). At worst, in a hyper-competitive West, these losses could be the difference between making and missing the post-season.

Adam Lauridsen

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Agreed that the timing of this leak is suspicious. Lacob looks so unhappy in his court side seat watching this slop recently. I have to think his way ” out of this mess” will be to insist on hiring a top assistant from outside the org if this type of play continues as we finish the long upcoming road trip. As we fall well under .500, I think the pressure to make such a move will become enormous. Who knows, perhaps this leak is a precursor to such a move?

Dr J has mentioned that longtime assistant coach Adams is available. Other names out there?

Eric Eiserloh

Facts we need to deal with:

1) The Warriors are also 2-9 against teams with winning records.

2) The vaunted Warrior backcourt has been outplayed numerous times this season (as has Curry, especially when you equalize the minutes or look at plus/minus, head to head).

The high numbers Curry and KT put up are partially the result of heavy usage, and partially the result of an inflated efficiency in a small number of games that are contrasted by at least as many others, but seem to average out well, which provides a false notion of the success they are having

3) Our low post game stinks

4) Our bench is one of the worst in the NBA production wise.

5) We are way too inconsistent (in fact to an extreme). I’m even starting to think we are schizo

6) We keep making the same mistakes, and seem to solve certain problems, only to have them recur in full expression not too long afterward (see #5).

7) We turn the ball over way too much (the worst being bad passes that get taken the other way for easy scores).

8) Lee is one of the worst defenders of his position in the league.

9) Our half court game is way too predictable, and often very stagnant

10) We are not as good as most seem to think we are.

jsl165

He wasn’t in the last 30 seconds. Watch HIS last five minutes.

And, as I expressly said, Lee “was very good on O last night.” His D was “not so good.”

SJ Jim

Uh, you sound like… Mark Jackson. “We need to play with more focus, discipline, and intensity”. Yes, but the coach needs to do more than say that. We’re close to worst in the league in turning the ball over. The problem isn’t being addressed properly. I understand that Jackson isn’t turning the ball over. He’s in charge of coaching those players, however. He doesn’t seem to react with any sort of discipline or instruction when they go off the rails as Klay did last night. “I trust my guys” is not cutting it.

jsl165

Yes, “some wins” would be nice. Some game-coaching, too.

Chris L

Very thoughtful and helpful post, Tired.

Among other things, watching the Spurs when they got down early was instructive. No big emotional razzmatazz. No real change at all.They just went about their business, steadily continuing to execute as they always do, and sure enough, step-by-step the game came right back to them.

And as it did, on the other side, the W’s became unhinged.

sartre

hon moto, given that only three teams in the East have winning records, and Eastern Conference teams play each other more, the observation that the Eastern conference is generally weaker than its Western equivalent is more than “conventional wisdom”. The former teams as a collective have lost the majority of their match-ups with Western teams. How else do you measure relative strength other than W/L record? Of course, underdog Eastern conference teams are going to sometimes win on the road against Western Conference teams. So what?

Chris L

Good call, G$.

I actually think that one of the W’s major problems—and one of the assessment problems among fans— is the idea that good play in one area (Curry’s scoring or Lee’s) should white-out critique of shortcomings in another area (Curry’s TO’s or occasional bad shots and Lee’s terrible defense in general).

But that’s not a way to engender improvement.

Chris L

“Risk AT THE RIGHT TIME [my caps] is what’s needed to be a winner…” (your quote or paraphrase of West)

NCDub,

The above is exactly how I see it.

Which is why I agree with Myers and Lacob NOT going into lux tax…yet.

Because it hasn’t been the right time. You only go into the lux tax (imo) when you see signs that you’re realistically on the verge of being a contender. (Not merely hoping that you’ll be.)

Right now the W’s have foundational questions that adding/keeping a player or two might buffer (ie disguise), but won’t solve.

dr_john

Adams is not a head coach, and he is not now available. Too late.

Chris L

The difference in a guy like Popovich is consistency. Mistakes aren’t passed over—no matter who you are and no matter how well you’re playing in other aspects of the game.

Parker could have 40 and be taking over the game, but if he threw two stupid passes in a row or got lazy on defense, he’d immediately hear it from Popovich the same way he would if he had 2 points.

The players respect that consistency, and they know it’s not personal. It comes more from a deep respect for how the game should be played—and actually from Popovich’s belief in his players that can play the game the right way.

Bryan Hsiao

Chris L,
I believe an assistant coach position just opened up by the leakage of the news where Mjack refused to hire one to replace Malone.

Can you polish your resume a little and I would gladly put in my referral for you to Lacob.

Your post above is POD material and should be required-reading in this thread !!!

“The players respect that consistency, and they know it’s not personal. It comes more from a deep respect for how the game should be played”

Chris L

If that’s true, one can fairly guess which side of the argument Jerry West was on.

Also, if Steinmetz’s report is true, it’s the second important time Jackson has “prevailed” in a personnel matter—the first being when he successfully lobbied to keep Ellis.

Accepting that persuasion was a mistake—which the W’s organization eventually corrected.

SC
Thanks friend, It WAS a fantasy–in good fun. But it was also meant as a jab at Lacob & his fantasy over-the-cap $$ promises & absence of risk taking a la The Logo’s pronouncements of what’s sometimes needed to be a winner.
I realize the condition of the play of JJ & Landry–but ATST it would be nice with JJ as a b/u PG with heart who knows the system, & Landry as an instant scorer in the paint also with heart who also knows the system were he to heal yet again. Both would have been good bets at the time with hindsight remembering that Monday morning QB’s are always millionaires.
Does that now make a little more sense?
Guess I did stray off the reservation a bit–& my attempt was a little unclear–just a fantasy & having some fun in the midst of what’s become a real downer of a Dub year. (smile) nd…that ten man rotation assuming recovery from injuries to Landry & FE would have been a hell of a squad.
That’s what I’d have referred to as “going for it now this seasona fanrasy for sure & risky, but what I’d really like to see in the Dub ownership.
Does that make any more sense this time around?

Peter Moto

Dr.Sartre, the generalization about eastern vs. western teams can be true, supported by the records, but that collective record won’t determine results of individual games. how the western conference compares to the eastern will hardly console GS fans if their team flounders against the likes of Cha, and once into the playoffs, the only eastern team a western team will face will not be from the pack of the mediocre.

before its recent visit to oaktown, SA was 3-9 in games that the trio of Duncan, Ginobili, Parker all missed. we knew very well that one of those losses was a close one to the eventual champion Mia team, yet fans were for the most part convinced that GS should have a much better chance to win against the ‘depleted’ squad. SA didn’t have to be as good as they were with the trio, they only had to be better than GS.

nelliebiggestfan

the knives are out in full for MJ, now even his own management team is conspiring against him by leaking internal team discussions. Is that fair to MJ ? oh well who cares about ethics. Last years success is ancient history and MJ was Malone’s puppet anyways, wasn’t he ? but if that’s true, how did this years team go 8-3 to start the season and why is Malone winning at a lower rate than notso smart in sacramento. No matter, let’s not think too much about this, it’s much easier to just hate on the coach. This attitude is why coaches are such a close fraternity, they get treated like crap on a regular basis. MJ is done unless the team turns this around fast. So what does Lacob do next. Does he make a play for a big fish like phil Jackson or does he hire a wonderboy x’s and o’s coach like Malone. HIring Mr zen may sound great but his massive ego is a tough swallow for an involved owner like Lacob. Jackson would run everything if he was hired.

I was watching Houston getting destroyed by Indiana last night. Indiana was defending the 3 well, Houston couldn’t make any, so their offense fell apart. Doug Collins pointed out that their Achilles heel was this over-dependence on the 3-pointer (this is deliberate on their part, by the way: they believe only in 3s and layups, wanting to eliminate mid-range shots) because when you can’t make 3s you’re lost. This is exactly the Ws problem. The 2 teams are rather similar offensively, except for the fact that they get more points from Howard than we get from Bogut. When both Klay and Steph are hitting 3s, the Ws can beat anyone. When one or both is cold, they’re at a loss, because they don’t have a good overall offensive system based on body and ball movement. Of course, usually lately it’s Klay that is cold from 3, and he’s not adjusting well by developing other parts of his game.

The current state of the Ws is to me a great example of how the league’s increasing reliance on the 3-point shot is ruining the game. Of course, it wasn’t part of the original game, which was purer because based more on body and ball movement close to the basket.

I’d like to get a conversation going on the pros and cons of having the 3-point shot in the game, and the related question of having a team offense that depends significantly on making 3s.

I see the following problems with the 3point shot:

1. It does cut down on body and ball movement, which is the most beautiful part of the game. You have more and more guys just hanging around at the 3point line, both in transition and in the half-court, instead of moving around the court. This is ugly basketball.

2. Reliance on the 3 creates an inconsistent style of play, with a lot of ups and downs, both within a game and between games, that is especially going to hurt you in the playoffs.

3. A missed 3pointer often creates a long rebound that fuels the other team’s transition game.

4. With the current relatively close 3point line, the shot has too high a premium, given the fact that many players and some whole teams now shoot it at 40% or more. This is equivalent to 60% or more on 2-pointers, which of course is a level of success attained only by a few players, usually only by big dunkers. This ridiculously high premium on the 3pointer tempts players and teams into the fools gold of relying too much on the 3.

I propose these solutions:

1. For teams, especially the Warriors: Construct a team of players that can move their bodies and the ball and make that their primary focus, with the 3-pointer being a secondary option.

2. School your players to take only OPEN 3s later in the shot clock after body and ball movement, rather than 3s that are early in the shot clock or contested. This will both decrease dependency on the 3 and increase the 3point shooting percentage because you’ll get more open 3s that are in the flow of the game. (Steph and Klay especially take too many 3s that are early in the shot clock or contested.)

3. For the league: Move the 3point line back a few feet, to the point where the best players shoot closer to 30% on 3s, rather than the current 40%plus. This would be equivalent to 45% on 2s, and would remove most of the unfair premium that 3pointers currently provide. This should move teams away from the current over-dependency on 3s.

rio kid

Richard, I like the idea of the discussion. We have two discusssions really. 1. What to do given the current set of rules in place. 2. Ideas for changing the rules in order to better the game.
Let’s start with premise number one. The premium allotted 3′s is to great and distorts the game. If this is in fact the case would it not behoove teams to recruit talented shooters to exploit this reality and create opportunities in the league for shooters. Given this, your idea one is a non-starter. If the NBA allows you to this premium on shooting, viewing the numbers you would be foolish not to take advantage of it. Even the vaunted Spurs have Green and the other wing as three point specialist along with Bellinelli. Pop knows that you have to have this to thrive in this league.
I think the Warriors are well constructed to compete in this environment as they have Lee as guy who is adept with excellent hands to take bases and score. Bogut is a good defender with the ability to score down low -albeit underutilized. They can pass – they just don’t and they aren’t doing it very well now.
One thing that has changed dramatically in the league is casting off 3′s in transition and early in the clock. Commentators used to rail on players for doing this and now they seem to shrug their shoulders and say ” It’s the new NBA”. Used to be that casting from 3 land with no rebounders under the hoop was mortal sin. Even when Patty stole that ball from bogut in the back court and nailed the three. That would have been a bad shot in the ” old days” now its okeeedokee.
Here is what I think in today’s NBA. Winning the battle of the 3s is important. I agree with what you say but I think you are missing the most important factor in this battle. All your recommendations are valid, solid suggestions but the single most important thing if you are the Warriors is not shooting the three, or when in the clock you shoot it. The most important item is:
DEFENDING THE 3.

This is where the Pacers, the Spurs are winning the battle of the threes and this is where the Warriors are losing. Some of this loss is due to Klay, Lee, Barnes and Curry not closing out on shooters and part is possibly due to the high level of turnovers that result in good looks on threes and other scoring options(I am speculating here and have no data to support this premise.)

rio kid

As far as the rules change idea yes and no. The three is like the home run in baseball and the pass in football – It sells tickets. As a fan I don’t want to go back to the days of the Knicks in the 90s with a bunch of brawlers beating the heck out of each other and running iso’s in the block til Kingdom come.( I haven’t used KIngdom come in years that show my years or what) The NBA with the 3 premium is changing the game and putting a premium on more mobile players that can shoot. I personally like it but I am a sucker for a great shooter. Also, if every team enjoys the same premium then kinda by definition it is fair. It is the duty of management to recruit players to thrive given the system in place. In the end it’s about selling tickets, jerseys and tv rights. We can argue if 23ft or 24ft is the right distance – I frankly don’t know – but the three is here to stay

rio kid

Any given night any NBA team can beat any other NBA team. Toronto is not a good team. They beat the Dallas Mavs. The Ws beat the Heat last year on the road. Did that make the Ws a good team – no. W’s lost to Charlotte, is charlotte a better team than the W’s- no. Portland is 11-0 vs Eastern conference teams. Indiana and the Heat are great teams. Spurs and Okc are great teams. In the west after the to top teams we have 6-8 good teams. In the East they may have 2 who are pretty good. Toronto is terrible. Charlotte is a travesty.

rio kid

Moto needs to get off the hash pipe

rio kid

What does the Eastern conference level of play have to do with Ws fans consoling themselves with the teams current mediocrity. W’s are a struggling team that cannot even beat the lousy Char team or the SA bench. That’s all there is to say on that mater. I am all about refuting the conventional wisdom but the idea that the Eastern conference currently contains teams that by and large are inferior to the Western conference teams is not speculation. It is a fact – look at the numbers. Is Portland better than the W’s -Yes. They have a better record in the same league. Is OKC better than the Ws – yes. We split games with them but they have a better record and yes they are better. Are the W’s better than the Knicks – Yes. They have a better record + they have more games vs. Western conf teams who are based on their cumulative record better than teams in the East. Man I love this stuff.

high dribble dribble

i’m not into the “I miss the good old days” — I think the game today is great with the exception of how it is officiated (I could talk for hours about my issues)

I also disagree with your opinion on the shot-clock – when Klay and Steph have uncontested 3s they should take them – the shot clock is irrelevant (excluding end of quarter or end game situations) — you play to your strengths – if you want to trade Klay then that’s another argument which I could get behind

but i do strongly agree with rio kid that the Ws need worry about playing better perimeter defense – a guy like Danny Green on San Antonio is a great example, he’s not much of a threat when someone is close to him (even Curry), but he’s deadly when open

Zume

Thank you Chris L. Clearly we have a problem here and it is looking more and more like teaching and training the details in practices and in game coaching details. The loss of Malone is showing itself in our stagnating learning. This coupled with a sort of delusion and over confidence from enjoying our 15 minutes of Sports IIlustrated and Slam fame.

I yi yiyi

If MJax does not want outside help, than he may be weak, then, yes he should go, But IMHO he is not a stupid man far from it, So now Lacob could be just softening him up to except a new assistant. Remember we often here have not liked his coaching only to praise it later when the team is hitting on all cylinders. Not saying he does not hold some (maybe most) Blame for not getting the teams focused and keeping them there. I am saying that MJax can be a good coach and that never having had any previous coaching experience, his learning curve is still steep. (sure he is still learning his job) We shall see if he can still be that excellent PG and distribute a bit of the responsibility, for that all important assist for the win.

For me it’s time start a turn around……………….Honor the ball for god’s sake the TOs just make me sick

Go Warriors beat LA

GusWilliams#1

Mark Jackson needs to do less preaching and more in game adjustments–actually coach instead of just rah-rah.
Start Barnes instead of Klaynk. HB is used to starting and being the 4th option. That was what he did quite well last year. He is not ready to be “the man” coming in off the bench. He is forcing every possession because he feels the pressure of being the 6th man.
That however, is the perfect role for Klaynk. He can be instant offense off the bench, spelling Steph or Barnes or Iggy depending on the night, and cast as many threes as Jax wants him to. He is only hot once every 5 or 6 games anyway. No way is he good enough for 40 mins./night.
Team has become way too dependent on Steph’s new brand of hero ball–not blaming him, but rather lack of any direction from coaching to to do anything different.

Zume

Thank you k [20] – Yes, I could not agree more. The system is key to developing in house talent. Those not buying in are traded, see Stephen Jackson’s story for when he left the Spurs the second time around.

Eric Eiserloh

The typical architecture of a contending team these days involves having a couple of star players (one of whom is probably the best player in the league, and at least one who can handle), a big defender/rebounder to do the dirty work inside, and a bunch of shooters who can float around the 3 pt. line to shoot open shots that come from star player double teams, and a couple of role players for more defense and ball handling.

This began with the Phil Jackson, Jordan-led Bulls, and has essentially continued until today aside from a couple of exceptions.

With the current Spurs, what’s interesting is that while 2 of their 3 best players have deteriorated a great deal, they have managed to stay near the top (much like the recent Celtic teams) with great coaching and experience combined with an infusion of young, active guys, and a couple of veteran role players.

and all I am saying is 2 games is NOT a legit sample size. I have said all along, let’s see what the record of the team with the starting 5 is after 20 games together. So far it is 9-3 with a 10.5 PPG + differential. That’s my only point. Whether or not the Ws snuck that game out, it was a horrible effort, mainly on TOS. Look, SA is a GREAT team, brilliantly coached, and they will bring it against everyone. As a matter of fact, I think Pop loves these games, to show it is the system and not the players, and send a subtle message to his stars and role players, in case anyone doubted it, that he can win with anyone. As for Klay – he is a mystery to me, but he is a pouty and useless little B when his shot is not falling. That is an area where he and Barnes can earn some more bench time if their play is off, MJax…

Anyway, my main point is just that one or two games is way too small a sample size to conclude anything. The evidence thus far this season is that the Ws with all 5 starters is avery good team. Let’s check in 20 games from now and see if that is still the case…ok?

Camelot

B Lopez out for the season again broken foot!

coltraning

No, I saw a disgracefully sloppy effort as I said. My sole point is 1 game is hard to draw conclusions from. The Heat got destroyed in consecutive games earlier this season by the Pistons and the ROSE-less Bulls. It happens. My sole point is let’s see what conclusions we can draw from a reasonable sample size. Say 20 games of the starting 5. so far they are 9-3 with a +10.5 with that crew…

But in case I did not make it clear when I said it was disgraceful and the worst loss of the season – it was disgraceful and the worst loss of the season, mainly because of the “horrid” (not a euphemism) unforced TOs, and Klay and Barnes disappearing. I agree Klay earned pine time and not sure why he is not getting it when he plays like that and the same goes for Barnes. As for Baze, I am terrified every time he touches the ball on offense, he is that bad, but ABSOLUTELY agree that Green, Speights and TD deserved more burn…

As for Jackson, I am not in the huddles so I do not know what he says in-game. It does appear he has more of the Zenmaster philosophy around timeouts than screaming Popovich, more of a player’s coach philosophy. But he is not the one bricking the Klay 3s that were falling earlier in the year and he is not the one throwing the ball directly to the opposition as they all were doing last night (Patty Mills stripping Bogut might have been the most embarrassing)

I think if all fell right, I could see this team with all pieces healthy having a puncher’s chance this year. I placed a bet at 16-1 odds, and that sounds about right to me…

jsl165

Agreed.

Note: If you’re interested in what Jax says in huddles/times out, watch the TBS version, when possible; no Barnett, of course, but no Fitz!

Thurston Hunger

Cannot review a no-call (similar to the problem with out of bounds call where a guy was clearly fouled, but touched the ball last as well, the refs cannot add on a new foul….the ball goes to the fouling team)

jsl165

No one says Jax is stupid.

What we say is he’s shown he’s a very slow study, he seems much too set in his ways, and he is not — yet, at least — a competent game coach.

jsl165

If you run a motion offense with continuously set screens, the three is your best weapon. In early O, if a shooter gets a sweet, open shot — the same.

But the trick is always to find/have the hot hand. So if the shot’s not falling — go inside; play the motion game closer to the basket. Then, later, go back to the three.

When you’re in rhythm, it can really deflate an opponent — as we learned in the Spurs game.

thewarriorsrule

Umm yea, no one knew this?

Obviously, when Malone left, it left a big hole to fill, and there was no one that we had that could fill in those shoes. Pete Myers was our best candidate, and even that is not good enough to fill malone’s shoes.

Like Chris said, every decision Jackson made has been wrong (including his substitution patterns) and just prolongs the learning curve. We hired West for a reason. LISTEN to him.

jsl165

A lot is being made of the team carefully reviewing/analyzing film of what went wrong in the Spurs game. To hear the players, it was like a ‘Eureka’ moment.

It certainly sounds as if this was a somewhat new or unusual practice.

If so, one wonders why, and what’s taken so long?

jsl165

Indeed.

One gets the sense that West is being sort shunted aside; he certainly hasn’t had much to say during our tailspin.

You just know he’s got ideas, and things too say.

Time to get him — and his acuity — back in the game.

thewarriorsrule

Amen! I am still waiting for the day for Jackson to be fired. **SIGH**

thewarriorsrule

I think it’s good that he’s publicly berating them. Soon the players will stop listening to him and he will be fired

thewarriorsrule

I’ve been saying it ever since Jackson was coaching, he’s just filled with platitudes, but HOW do u go about winning?? Anyone can say they want to win, but HOW do u win?? Malone was always the strategist and we let him walk away. And we lost the steady veterans in jack and Landry off the bench

thewarriorsrule

Agree Chris! And Bogut was only getting 20 mins a game earlier in the year. It’s obvious every time we took him out, opponents would attack the rim and score easy buckets. At the end of last year, bogut said to Myers “just wait til u see what I can do on offense”.. And have we involved him in our offense this year?? No, we turned him into Andris Biedrins!!

thewarriorsrule

Chris, would nc dub’s lineup there have been possible with all the cap rules, trades, etc?

thewarriorsrule

Yup, even when the warriors lead was 1 or spurs lead was 10, pop would still call a timeout and let his players have it.

SIGH, but we’re never going to get Pop.

Chris, do u think Lionel Hollins would be a good coach for us?

rio kid

Same with the guy from the Suns…the guy that torched Lee from 3s. That guy sucks all you need to do is be in his space and he is not effective. With Bogut in the paint it is inexcusable to allow a guy like that to kill you.

Also, Leonard and Green play defense on the perimeter…and look at the results. In the new NBA you need to play the perimeter on both sides of the ball.

We are lucky. We have one of the only guys in the league who can get his own shot in threeland – his name is Steph Curry. Every other player in the league can be stopped by just guarding him.

I must be wrong. Who else can get his own 3. Kobe doesn’t count. Melo. I’m running out of thoughts….

rio kid

Ok Lee is tradeable. What losing team has a PF we could use?

rio kid

When Wilt was around they wanted to raise the basket to 11 feet. In soccer they are talking about instituing a penalty box idea for various reasons…games change and it keeps everyone talking.